Throughout The Years
by Uchizaki
Summary: Levi lives at the Jaeger household while he's in college and a five-year-old, brown-haired, annoying, and smelly brat with beautiful green eyes attaches himself to his hip. He loses every single battle to this entity known as Eren Jaeger. Ereri Fluff. Light Yaoi. (Cover image not mine)


A/N: Hello everyone! I've been addicted to Ereri lately so this is a product of that... I don't write too much in first person so hope you guys like it! Let me know what you think :) I apologize for potential grammar mistakes in advance

Disclaimers: Do not own Shingeki No Kyojin. Do not own Eren. Or Revi. Or anything T_T. Rated T for language.

Throughout The Years  
~ Uchizaki ~

"Revi, please please come?"

I sighed and rubbed tiredly at my aching eyes. A grubby hand that would normally annoy me to no end grabbed my arm, moving it down as if saying, look at me, look at how cute I am, you know you can't say no to me. So I opened my eyes and instantly regretted it. How can I let an annoying little brat have this much of an influence on me?

I knew the answer to my own question of course. The five years old midget was freaking adorable , and I didn't even like children. Those unique, innocent golden orbs stared up from beneath me, waiting impatiently for an answer. Damn it, anything but those puppy eyes.

I have to resist. I have to fight it. I can't lose to a brat that's almost a decade and a half younger than me. I am a grown ass college student and I will freaking stand my ground.

"I already told you brat, I have to study for a test Monday. I can't play all weekend with you at your beach house," I said sternly, the flash of hurt across those same puppy eyes making me wince a bit inside. However the enemy quickly recovered and shook his head furiously, not backing down, pulling down insistently on both of my arms this time. What the hell, how was a five year old this strong?

"You can bring your big books and study there! I ... I won't bother you Revi!" I rolled my eyes sat the way the brat struggled at saying the last part.

"Are you trying to convince me or yourself?" I ruffled his soft, brown locks in a fond manner. I wasn't giving in. Not at all.

Why was he grinning so brightly?

"So Revi is coming?"

I deadpanned and looked at him as if he grew an extra head, "When did I say that?"

"...so Revi isn't coming?"

I could tell the brat was trying his hardest to hold back tears by how hard he was biting his finger. He did it whenever he was trying not to cry, but his golden eyes were getting watery nonetheless. I sighed and pinched his chubby cheeks, "You got to stop that bad habit of yours," I said while pulling his index finger out of his mouth. It was laced with saliva, some of which got on me. When had I stopped being grossed out by this brat? I would fucking stab anyone else who dared allow their saliva to come in contact with me.

"I'll stop if you come! Please come?"

How was this brat so damn persistent? And adorable? "Stop pouting," I said as I opened my arms, motioning him to come close. He did eagerly, and I picked him up, sitting him on my lap with the intention of telling him one more time exactly why I couldn't go. "Fine, I'll go," the words coming out of my mouth before my mind was able to catch up.

The loud and happy cheering, the mop of hair suddenly under my chin, and the warmth trying to squeeze the life out of me stopped myself from questioning my words. I sighed again and the corners of my lips curled. I was utterly defeated yet again by this bundle of joy in my arms that's excitedly repeating "Revi is coming, Revi is coming!" like a mantra.

I glared at the doorframe at my silently smiling little niece who was leaning smugly against the open door. "Mikasa, get this little idiot off of me so I can study," I said tiredly, unable to peel the brat off of me myself, not that I was going to admit it. At that, the little brat's grip tightened and he declared, "No! Wanna stay with Revi."

My niece shrugged, and with a giggle, dared to disobey me and disappear from the doorframe. Exasperated, I yelled her name in a way that promised revenge later, eliciting bubbly laughter from the leech attached to me.

I let him sit on me and hug me silently for a few more seconds before gently saying, "I have to study now, since I agreed to go on the stupid trip with you."

"Okay, I'll be quiet," he said in an attempted whisper, looking up at me with his golden eyes, silently begging me not to shoo him away. I huffed. I already let him win once today, so... "Whatever, but if you say another word I'm not going to the beach with you anymore."

He looked like he was going to protest but he stopped himself, not wanting to say another word. Instead the brown haired brat mouthed something to me and then settled for giving me the cheeriest smile before settling down on me with his head laying down in the crook of my neck, his breathe panning over my skin. Within seconds, I felt his breathing even out and I rolled my eyes with a slight smile. How does anyone even fall asleep that fast?

I ruffled his locks gently one more time, careful not to wake him. I felt him smile against my skin and sigh contently. Stupid brat... When did I become a human bed?

Alright Levi, time to cram.

Did the brat mouth "I love Revi" to me before he passed out?

"Levi? Are you there?"

Being a light sleeper, I woke up from my nap, slightly disoriented. "Yes?"

"Oh I'm sorry honey, were you asleep?" Judging from the steps on the staircase, Mrs. Jaeger must be coming upstairs. I snapped awake and quickly grabbed a shirt from my bed stand and pulled it on, seconds before Eren's mother poked her head in my room. "Yes," I responded, "it's alright, what can I do for you?"

"Oh stop it, you've been living with us for four years now, no need to be so formal?" A hand tousled my hair playfully. Normally I would've minded, but I had to fix my bed head anyways, so it's whatever.

In a month I'll be graduating from college. I couldn't wait to finally get it over with and go to law school and to learn something that's useful. Soon I'll also be moving out of the Jaeger household, leaving my niece in their care for a bit longer. I was very thankful for them offering to take us in when... Yeah. I owe the Jaeger family a lot.

"Anyways, would you be able to go pick up Eren and Mikasa from school today? Something came up and I have to go in. I'm really sorry-"

"You don't have to be so formal either, Mrs. Jaeger," I cut in with a brief smile as I combed my hair to submission, "They get off in twenty minutes right? I'll be there."

"Thanks so much Levi! And that goes for you too! How many times have I told you to just call me Carla?" she reprimanded with a playful frown as she rushed down the stairs to prepare to go to work.

I followed soon after, grabbing my motorcycle keys before heading out.

Surprisingly, Carla hadn't shown any concern over the fact that I drove a motorcycle to pick up her kids. Most parents would definitely hesitate before letting their kids travel on a motorcycle, but Carla didn't seem to mind at all. She was a very chill kind of parent, and that was one of the reasons I liked her so much. I suppose her trust in me was also a factor.

Presently, I arrived at the elementary school. Before I was able to even park, I heard my name being screamed in an excited manner by a voice very familiar to me now.

"Revi! WOO Armin, Mikasa look who's here!"

My lips turned up and I rolled my eyes. No matter how many times I come pick them up Eren always acted it like was the first time. The same excitement, the same shine in his eyes and the same overly cheery grin no matter how old he got. The warmness pervaded into me and it was all I had to do to keep my mean look on. The kids all eyed my motorcycle and me like a piece of meat and if not for my intimidating, natural scowl I was sure I would become overrun by sweaty, grimy, and loud munchkins.

I tilted my head lightly and Eren and Mikasa came running after waving a quick bye to their blond, girly-looking friend Armin. They quickly mounted and I grunted as Eren gave me a tight hug from the back, him sitting behind me with my cousin behind him, carrying both of their bag packs on her back. It felt tighter. They were getting bigger and older I suppose…

"Eren…" I muttered as I restarted the engine, and the arms around me immediately loosened a bit.

"Sorry! Bye Armin!"

I could feel the curious and jealous eyes on us as we zoomed out of the school parking lot, leaving a cloud of dust behind. I drove fast but I drove skillfully, and Eren loved it, yelling in an adrenaline filled joy the whole ride home.

As the kids went to change out of their school uniforms, I cut up some apples in the kitchen for them as an afternoon snack. Expecting a usually voracious boy rushing down the stairs for food, I was surprised when only Mikasa trotted down gingerly, seating herself at the kitchen counter, helping herself to the food with a quiet "Thanks." I tilted my head, silently asking her about Eren. She nodded towards the bedroom that the siblings shared with a pointed look. I sighed, but nonetheless washed my hands quickly and headed up.

I found Eren lying on his stomach on the bottom level of the bunk bed he and Mikasa shared with his head turned away from the door. I sat down next to him and tousled his messy, brown locks with my right hand.

"Hey. What's wrong brat?" I asked as I poked at his usually sensitive sides, eliciting a small whine in response.

"Nothing. Stop that!" the brat responded without turning around, covering up his sides with his hands.

I rolled my eyes. "Ok fine," I replied, starting to get up, only to be stopped by a hand gripping my wrist, pulling me back down. The nine-year-old finally turned to look at me, but not before pulling me down to lie down next to him. I let him hug me and wrap his arms again tightly around me, used to the kid's touchiness over the past four years. I patted his back and didn't say anything. If Eren wanted to talk, he can talk, if not… then well I don't know. I didn't mind just laying there with the brat for a few minutes.

"Hey Revi?"

"Hm?" I replied, slightly surprised since I thought the kid had fallen asleep after being quiet for at least five minutes. I felt him shift until his green eyes was starring at me, swirling with sadness.

"Please don't leave?"

Oh, so that's what has been on the brat's mind. "You'll still be able to see me. I told you my law school isn't so far away," I reassured him, rubbing my hand soothingly along his back. Only Eren brought out this comforting, affectionate side of me. My lips curled up in a bittersweet smile. The past four years had been a lot of fun, despite all the busy work I had to do for college. Being able to watch Eren and MIkasa grow up, eating delicious home cooked meals by Carla, and hearing the occasional sage advice from Grisha had made my experience at the Jaegar household quite enjoyable… They were like the family I never had, and I haven't really thought about what it would be like finally leaving them until now, with a teary eyed brat in my arms.

"If it's not far, can't you just stay with us?"

I smiled at him and joked, "Are you going to cry?"

"No!" came the vehement refusal, "I'm not going to you jerk," the kid exclaimed, pretending to be angry but the quirk in the corner of his mouth giving away the fact that he couldn't ever be mad at me.

"Oh? So what was that?" I questioned as a tear slid down from his eyes. I reached in between us and wiped the salty, gross liquid away with my finger. … Only Eren would ever get this kind of special treatment from me.

"I'm… I'm just sleepy that's all," the youngster defended himself cutely, averting my 'oh really' stare. "You didn't answer my question! Stay with us, stay with me Revi, please?" he said as he buried his face in my chest, clutching onto me tighter with an urgency that made my eyebrows arch up in surprise.

I didn't even know nine-year-olds could express such levels of desperation. I opened my mouth to tell him "No" firmly but then closed my mouth, deciding against it. I was touched, and I knew I would break his heart. So I skirted around the topic once again.

"I'll come visit often, I promise," I said as I returned the embrace, placing a light kiss atop the brown mop of hair that smelled like a mix of coconut-scented shampoo and dried sweat. I couldn't stop myself from scrunching my nose slightly, but I didn't mind that much… not when it was a tiny person who valued me so much. No one had ever held me with the kind of desperation that the little brat exhibited, and it warmed my cold heart. For a moment, I contemplated calling off the apartment I will be sharing with Erwin, but I knew it would be impossible for me to stay.

I felt something warm and wet through my shirt and flinched before realizing it was tears. The brat must've sensed my brief flinch and started to pull away. I pulled him back in and gave him a tight squeeze before viciously attacking his sides and armpits, eliciting instant squeals amidst sniffles and whines.

"S-S-Stop! Hahahah! R-REVI!"

I didn't stop for another five seconds before I finally eased up and let him escape my embrace. He instantly pulled back, sat up, and opened his mouth but before he could say anything I cut him off with a flick to his forehead.

"Ow! What was that for?" he demanded with a pout.

"Stop being sad. I'm not leaving for another month and I don't want to spend that time with a mopey brat." Seeing the hurt look on his face made me realize I sounded a little harsh, so I quickly added, "I'd rather spend it with the energetic, happy, always annoying the heck out of me brat that I love."

The smile that lit up the face with still remnants of baby chubs was so bright it should be illegal. I didn't have much time to be blinded by it because soon enough I was tackled so hard that we both fell out of the bottom bunk onto the floor.

Minutes later, we both lay on the ground face up with panting from exhaustion while wearing happy smiles.

I turned to the brat and found him staring at me grinning.

"I love you too Revi," and I didn't miss the pink that dusted his cheeks as he reached over and grabbed my hand with his smaller ones. He held up my hand and folded down all my fingers except my pinky.

"Promise me you'll visit lots!" he said with a serious (seriously cute) look on his face as he held up his pinky.

I rolled my eyes at his ever adorable antics and didn't hesitate long in hooking his pinky with my own. "It's a promise."

I ran my hand through my hair as I stared at the case profile, frustrated and tired. In the living room, Erwin's grandfather clock that he had gifted me as a housewarming present tolled for midnight minutes ago, indicating that I had been stuck on this particular case for the past two hours. Being a real lawyer was definitely a lot more challenging than law school… but it was rare for me to be stuck on anything for more than minutes. Maybe I just needed to sleep… I thought as I listened to the pounding of the raindrops on the roof. It was storming outside, and the occasional lightning illuminated the room. I loved the methodical rainy soundscape.

The ringing of the doorbell startled me out of my thoughts as I instinctively got up from my office table. Who could it be at this hour? I thought to myself for a brief second before having a good hypothesis as I approached the peep hole. Sure enough… it was the brat. What could he possibly be here for at 12 AM in the morning on a Thursday night?

I opened the door hastily, "Brat, what are- You're soaked. Wait here." I rushed to the bathroom on the ground floor, grabbed the guest bath towel, and was back to the doorstep in few seconds tops. I wrapped the towel around him after pulling him in, closed the door behind us, and started patting him dry while observing him. Obviously there was something wrong for him to show up at my door unannounced. Eren visited often ever since he got his driver's license since my house was roughly a twenty minute drive from his place, give or take a few minutes.

Wet, brown locks obstructed those expression-filled eyes. I didn't like that so I moved on to dry his face and hair quickly. He still hasn't moved or said anything which was worrying me. "Eren, what's wrong?" I asked as I touched his cheek. To my surprise, he flinched, which worried me more. His dried face was starting to get wet again, and this time it wasn't from the rain.

Whatever was on his mind can be hashed out after getting him into some dry clothes. Without warning him, I scooped him up in my arms, earning a small squeak of surprise. I held back a grunt; the brat was definitely heavy now. One more year and he would probably be taller than me, I thought in mild annoyance.

"L-Let me down," he feebly protested as I trudged up the stairs to my bedroom. I didn't reply, only speeding up my ascent, finally letting him down at the top. I grabbed his hand in my own and led him into the bathroom connected to my room and sat him down on the edge of the bathtub.

"Here, get changed then come out," I stated as I threw him a shirt, a pair of boxers, and some shorts, "I'll be right back." He nodded numbly, still not meeting my gaze as he slowly lifted his wet shirt over his head. I made a quick trip downstairs to where my cell phone was charging and decided to send Mikasa a quick text, knowing that the girl was probably worried to death.

 **Me:** _Hey. Eren's with me. He'll be staying here for the night, so don't worry about him._

As I left to go back upstairs, I heard my phone vibrate but ignored it. I decided to leave the phone downstairs because I wanted to focus on Eren.

When I got back into the bedroom, Eren was all dried up and sitting on my bed, facing away from the door. He didn't seem to hear me entering and jumped when I sat down besides him. I stared at him, analyzing him.

It was hard to believe another seven years passed by in a blink of an eye. The brat in front of me had lost most of his baby fat and was starting to look more like a man. He bore great resemblance to his mother, his face speaking of empathy but also of determination and vivaciousness.

"Thanks Levi," he spoke, breaking me out of my thoughts, finally meeting my eyes. I could tell from the redness of his slightly puffy eyes that he had been crying before he came over.

"Don't worry about it," I replied, giving him my usual hard stare, "Are you going to tell me what's wrong?"

He furrowed his brows and lightly pouted, shaking his head faintly. "Not yet… Can I ask for something…?"

"Anything," I replied automatically without even thinking. My reply must've surprised him because he looked like he just forgot whatever he was going to ask for. "Within reason, of course," I added.

He let out a small laugh, a reaction that eased my worries quite a bit. His cheeks were slightly pink, could he have caught a cold from being soaked? I reached forward and placed my hand on his forehead. His face almost seemed to get darker though his head didn't feel abnormal. I retracted my hand.

"Can… Can I hug you?" he asked, staring into my eyes with those innocent, green orbs.

I rolled my eyes in response, "When have you ever asked for permission to? Idiot," I said in a playful manner before opening my arms. Only Eren. He was feeling down for whatever reason and I needed to cheer him up. I wasn't exactly sure why I felt so responsible for that actually…

Without hesitation, he dove into me, the force of it knocking me over on the bed. He laid on top of me, his arms circling to behind my waist with his head resting on my chest. "You're not a kid anymore you know… take it easy on this old man," I kidded with him, ruffling his still slightly damp hair like I always did. I could feel him smile into my shirt as he nuzzled my chest like a puppy who hadn't seen his owner for a long time. I placed my arms light on top of him and rubbed his back lazily.

We laid there in comfortable silence, listening to the beating of the rain and I felt myself starting to doze off. The brat was heavy on top of me, but he was warm, and the warmth was lulling me to sleep, the hard work I've done for the day catching up to me.

"If I told you I killed someone, what would you think?"

I blinked hard, trying to clear the sleep from my mind as I cleared my throat and shifted. Where was this coming from? I thought, mildly confused. "You'd never kill someone intentionally," I replied.

"You never know… but let's say I did. Would you judge me?"

"I am a pretty damn good criminal lawyer brat, assuming you're not the sloppiest murderer, I'd get you out of it," I responded without much hesitation "And unless you've become a different person, no I wouldn't judge you." If Eren was to ever kill a person, it wouldn't be just for the hell of it; he would definitely have a good reason behind his actions. I would stand behind him.

The brat laughed and got off me, sitting up and crossing his legs. I propped my head up with my right arm and stared at him. "So… you told your parents something that they didn't react very well to, then you ran away and came here to me," I deduced, and judging from the surprise on the other's face, I was sure I hit the nail on the head. "You're asking me if I would care if you murdered someone to gauge my reaction, trying to get a sense of how I would react if you told me what was actually on your mind."

"H-How did you know?" the brat asked, flustered and all of sudden very fidgety, gripping my sheets tightly in his hands.

"Just a guess," I replied, "Ease up Eren, whatever it is, you don't have to tell me if you're uncomfortable with it." Oh the teenage struggles, I sighed lightly. "Just relax, I've known you since you were a kid, I know you're a good person. Whatever it is that you've done, I'm not kicking you out of my house."

"It's… not really anything I've done, but more like who I am and how I feel…" the brat muttered, struggling with his words a bit, "And my parents didn't kick me out, they just… didn't react very well and I wanted to get away for a bit."

"Stay the night," I offered almost automatically, "I'll call you in sick tomorrow." It wouldn't be the first time I pretended to be Grisha, but let it be noted that I never helped Eren play hooky just for the hell of it. i do have some sense of responsibility.

He smiled, "Thanks Levi… I would like that, and thanks for letting me stay… and sorry for being a bother, you should sleep! You have work tomorrow and-"

I cut him off with a wave, "You're welcome here whenever. You're not a bother to me, and I was planning on working from home tomorrow anyways. Go take an actual shower and brush up. The toothbrush you used last time is on the second shelf of the leftmost cabinet."

After nodding and giving me another quick hug, the brat scampered off towards the bathroom. I laid down with a sigh. I had already brushed, showered, and changed into my pajamas before Eren came over. I rolled over to the head of the bed and laid my head on the pillow. I'll call Carla in the morning and talk to her about how she and her husband handled their son's coming out to them.

I wasn't a lawyer for nothing. Eren was Eren to me regardless of his sexual orientation. I could care less what kind of people he was into; I'll also wait for the brat to open up to me by himself before I say anything… explicitly.

As he came out of the bathroom, dressed and dry, I realized that the shirt I gave him fit him well and that he was probably as tall as I am now. I groaned.

"What's up?" he asked curiously as he laid down on the bed besides me. Even though my bed was king-sized, we probably only took up half of it.

"Nothing," I mumbled, rolling away.

"It's not nothing! Tell me!" the brat persisted, catching me by my waist, preventing me from rolling further away. He looked worried so I rolled my eyes and sighed. "You're almost as tall as me now aren't you."

He blinked, as if that wasn't what he was expecting at all, before busting a grin. "Don't forget I'm just starting to hit my growth spurt! I'll surpass you in no time," he dared say smugly.

"Are you calling me short?" I said ominously before attacking his sides suddenly and playfully, turning him into a mess of flying limbs and laughter.

"Th-That's not what I s-said at all! Ahahaha s-stop!" he sputtered between laughs, trying to restrain me futilely. I was still stronger than the scrawny kid, that's one thing that's not going to change anytime soon. I let him break free after a few more seconds and laid back down. "Get some sleep brat, it's way past your bedtime."

I let him drape an arm around my waist and pull himself close to me. He still seemed weighed down by something so I turned to face him, capturing his eyes with mine before saying, "Whatever's bothering you, know that it doesn't change how I think of you. And hell, if it bothered me, I wouldn't be letting you sleep here besides me."

His eyes went wide and from the way he froze, I felt like he understood that I knew… maybe. The brat was a brat but he wasn't a moron. My hand went up and pinched his cheek lightly, snapping him out of his daze. His eyes refocused on me and he stammered out, "You… You know?"

"Yes…" I replied, confident but not wanting to be the one to open Eren's Pandora's Box. He can open it himself if he felt ready to.

The kid gulped nervously, his cheeks as pink as freshly roasted salmon. "S-So… is it okay if I… um…"

"What is it? Just do it," I said gently yet impatiently. I wasn't good at ignoring the elephant in the room. There was no point skirting around the truth when both of us knew it. Before I could comprehend it, I felt something warm and soft press against my lips and it was my turn to be surprised. Was… was Eren kissing me? The fuck? I froze this time as the other's closed eyelids met my confused stare. The kid looked so… relaxed, as if a heavy burden was just lifted off his shoulders.

Then it all clicked in my head. My hypothesis wasn't wrong, it just didn't cover the entire scope of the issue. The brat was into guys… more specifically… me. It made sense. Despite our large age gap, I was always the first one he called, texted to, or ran to whenever he had good or bad news. He never failed to make me something for my birthday. He always clung to me and hugged me whenever he had the chance. He always wanted to spend his time with me. How was I so blind...? I wanted to smack myself for leading this kid on… God knows how long I've been doing it for.

I should push him away. There's nothing good that would come from him falling from me. There were so many other people he could go for, people closer to his age, like that idiot Jean! Or Armin? They had always been close since their childhoods. So why was it that a part of me cringed at the thought of Eren in the arms of someone else?

My eyes softened. Eren… if I think about it, has always received special treatment from me. I wouldn't let anyone else cry on me, hug me whenever, or do a lot of the things Eren often does to me actually… If it was anyone else coming to me with a personal problem, I wouldn't care as much to help them as I cared for Eren. This wasn't the first time I let the brat sleep with me in my bed either. … When was the last time someone else other than Eren slept in my bed with me even?

So in to my thoughts, I didn't even notice Eren pull away. I blinked and I realized he had been staring at me, waiting for a reaction. He seemed to take my lack of response badly as he started apologizing, "I'm so sorry Levi… I didn't mean to do that. I just thought… you knew… I'm so sorry-"

"Shut up," I cut in quietly but authoritatively as I pulled him in and met his lips with my own. I was moving purely on emotion and feeling, having decided to throw logic out the window for now. If Eren didn't care that I was more than ten years older, then I didn't either. I wasn't going to let an age difference hurt someone I never want to hurt.

He had opened his mouth in surprise and I slipped my tongue in cautiously, not wanting to startle him. Soon his surprise wore off, his hands wrapped around my neck, pulling me closer and his lips moved against mine in a desperate yet overjoyed manner. Horny brat… I thought, amused, as I felt him snake a leg in between mine and also start using his tongue.

I pulled away and smirked at the dazed look on the other's face. The brat quickly recovered and was staring at me in confusion. "You… You kissed me? Why did you do that?" His cheeks were the colors of a tomato now and it was adorable.

"For the same reason you kissed me… I think," I replied, slightly confused at my actions as well now that I was able to recollect some of the logic I just cast aside. I was not used to being flustered or confused and I felt my cheeks heat up against my will.

"You think?" he asked, arching an eyebrow in incredulity, "I… I love you Levi, and… are you blushing?"

Why does this brat have no tact? I thought exasperatedly. His face was too close to mine so I put a hand on it and pushed it away lightly. "I don't know brat, I didn't know you loved me this way until just now and I need some time to think about it. I had thought you were distressed because you told your parents you were gay or at least bi and they didn't react well. I didn't know you had feelings for me," I attempted to explain. Judging from the look on the brat's face, I knew I was right about the coming out to parents part.

I went on, "You have plenty of other guy friends. Why me?"

"Because I've always loved you, for as long as I can remember," the brat said bluntly without even blinking once, the seriousness of his words reflected in his eyes. How can he say such embarrassing things with a straight face, I wondered. I respected the courage to be blunt to one's emotions, especially when it has the potential of driving away someone. "You've always been there for me, and I guess somewhere along the line I started seeing you as someone I wanted to stay close to for the rest of my life," he continued, no stutter, no wavering, no any kind of insecurity.

How was I supposed to respond to that? As if sensing that my brain had overheated, Eren smiled an understanding smile and dared to pinch my cheek playfully. "You don't have to say anything. I… I had wanted to let you know sometime soon," he scratched his head, looking a bit sheepish, "I didn't know it was all gonna come out tonight either."

"What if I didn't feel the same way?" I asked, simply curious of his response. I immediately felt bad, seeing the pang of hurt that flashed across those emerald orbs. The brat recovered fast though and forced a smile that would've fooled anyone else. "Then… then I would give my all to make you fall in love with me," he said with such conviction that I almost felt suffocated by his emotions - in the best way possible.

I surrendered. I could never win against the brat… I couldn't when he was five and I couldn't now. Eren always won because deep down, everything Eren wanted… I wanted as well, whether it was for me or for him. I smiled ruefully as I pulled the brat in for another kiss, a mere gentle touch of the lips this time that didn't last long but did convey much.

"Give your all chasing your other dreams because you already have me falling for you," I breathed into his ear. I could feel his body shudder in delight as the brightest grin spread across his visage. I pulled him into a deep hug, intertwining my body with his. We stayed like that for a few seconds before Eren broke the silence with slightly distorted laughter. I frowned and pulled back slightly, thinking something was wrong but Eren just shook his head as tears of happiness fell freely from his eyes. "I'm just happy… I'm so happy Levi… this is the happiest moment of my life haha, I can't believe my wildest dreams of you returning my feelings are real now," he said in between sniffles and laughter which I found adorable.

His laughter was contagious and I found myself laughing as well. I entangled my hands with his and gave him one last kiss, on the cheek this time. "Me too," I replied genuinely.

Nothing else needed to be said in the moment as we left communication to our eyes. I was still in slight disbelief that out of all the people i've ever met in life, this brown-haired, snot-nosed brat was the one that has broken down all my walls without me even knowing. The warmth Eren provided with his proximity and

confession made me feel lighter than I have felt in years.

And so we both drifted off to sleep for real this time, smiles lingering on our faces, an … interesting, to say the least, future ahead of us.

The End

A/N: I suck at endings haha... but yeah! If you enjoyed (or didn't enjoy) please leave a review! :) Thanks for reading everyone!


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